Wanaah Bail recalls the first time he picked up a basketball. He was in eighth grade and, he said, "I felt at home. " Now a redshirt freshman at UCLA, he looks very much as though he belongs on the court: 6 feet 9 with a massive wingspan and huge hands. It's where he'd like to be too, but he has been forced to be patient. Bail was a dominant power forward at Rosenberg (Texas) Lamar Consolidated High two years ago. His original college choice was Texas Tech, but he left the Red Raiders' basketball program after three weeks, a casualty of Coach Billy Gillispie's implosion.

There is no denying the marquee abilities UCLA freshman Zach LaVine can bring to a game. He gave a sparse crowd at Pauley Pavilion a peek of those Sunday. LaVine's 19 points in UCLA's 87-72 Pac-12 Conference victory over Arizona State won't jump off the stat sheet, as he was one of five Bruins in double figures. But what he did during an eight-minute stretch in the first half should get the chatter going around the water cooler. He scored 15 points to fuel a 20-8 run that gave UCLA (13-3 overall, 2-1 in Pac-12 play)

Billy Preston, a 6-foot-8 freshman who had been starting at St. John Bosco, didn't play in Wednesday's Trinity League game against Servite and has left St. John Bosco. Preston played last summer for Mater Dei before deciding to enroll at St. John Bosco. It's not known where he will end up. Eric.sondheimer@latimes.com

UCLA's Myles Jack was doing an interview, one of many since the freshman linebacker added running back to his chores and became a college football phenomenon. Teammate Eddie Vanderdoes saw this as his cue. "Man, we were walking on campus after the Washington game and everyone was yelling, 'Myles! Clickclack Jack! Boobie!" said Vanderdoes, a freshman defensive end. "All the women were swooning. " Jack, his voice rising in mock anger, barked back, "That's just rude!" and pleaded, "None of that happened.

When: 2 p.m. Where: Galen Center. On the air: TV: Pac-12 Networks; Radio: 710. Records: USC (8-4); Howard (3-12). Update: The Trojans are coming from a week off after possibly their best win of the season, at Dayton, a famously difficult place to play. Pe'Shon Howard, the senior point guard transfer from Maryland, hit consecutive three-pointers in the last 30 seconds to give the Trojans the surprising win. He has seemed to fit into his leadership role more and more each game.

EL PASO - Usually, losing your leading tackler would cause some consternation. But UCLA linebackers coach Jeff Ulbrich has a carefree attitude these days. The Bruins will be without linebacker Eric Kendricks , who had right ankle surgery last week, when they play Virginia Tech in the Hyundai Sun Bowl on Tuesday. Few seek out ballcarriers better than Kendricks, who has led the team in tackles the last two seasons. Into that breach goes freshman Isaako Savaiinaea , who seems to have a calming effect on Ulbrich.

Pitcher Chad Plant hasn't made the varsity team yet at Upland High, because he's only a freshman, and his coach, Mike Alonso, has seen him pitch just once. But Plant has already committed to UC Santa Barbara before his first high school game. It's just another example of colleges deciding to take chances on young players based on workouts, camps and word of mouth. Plant, a 6-foot-1 right-hander, could have trouble making the starting rotation, since Upland returns Michael Gomez, who signed with Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and 6-6 junior Jeff Kross.

The freshman-sophomore basketball team from Reseda Cleveland High is in a panic. It's their first home game, their friends are whooping at them from the creaky stands in the musty gym, and they can't find the basket. In their first four trips down the court against San Fernando High, they rush to the hoop and miss layups, their offense quickly dissolving into a chaotic blur. On the sideline, the kid coach with the oversized dark blue tie hanging between rolled-up light blue sleeves stares quietly at the court.

It's been a grueling season for Modesto Central Catholic, but in the end it was all worth it for the Eagles, who got 103 yards rushing from freshman Montell Bland and capitalized on three Bakersfield Christian turnovers to earn a 36-23 victory Friday afternoon in the CIF state Division IV championship bowl game at StubHub Center in Carson. Central Catholic (15-1), which established the largest margin of victory in state bowl history with a 66-7 rout of Santa Fe Christian in last year's Division IV game, set another record Friday by becoming the first California high school team to play 16 games in back-to-back seasons.